Why Look for a Dead Girl?
by TheEarthbendingRavenclaw
Summary: Gutt is back! And that's not the strangest part. He know about Manny's first family, and is searching for Manny's first daughter. But why would Gutt be looking for a dead girl? Rated T for mentions of death and bloodshed. (does not include Ice Age 5 cannon.)
1. Prologue

Joe shivered as the sun ducked behind the ice glaciers that peaked over the various mounds of dirt and patches of trees that made up the old patch of dirt they called an island.

"Gettin' too old for this Ice Age business," the giant beaver grumbled as he rubbed at his chilled shoulders.

"You've been saying that for over two decades now," came an amused voice from behind him. Joe smiled. He'd know that voice anywhere.

"Well, well, well," he grinned. "If it isn't good ol' Red."

A young female mammoth with striking violet eyes, and four scars decorating the left side of her face cocked an eyebrow at the old beaver in amusement. "Who you calling old? You already had grey hairs coming in when I was just learning to babble."

"Now, now, Red," Joe fake scolded. "Let's not go disrespecting our elders. Just because you're coming up on your tenth year as turf leader doesn't mean you can go running you're mouth."

"Please," Red rolled her eyes. "I was running my mouth before I became turf leader."

Joe let out a groan as he rolled his eyes. "Don't I know it." Joe stood to his feet and plodded towards his long-time friend. "Anyways, how might I be of service?"

Red's face turned serious, and Joe took a step back. There was never anything good going on when Red made that face.

"Have you heard anything from Renee?" Red asked.

Joe sighed. If Red was bringing that old hag up there was definitely something wrong. "No. Hadn't heard from her in over a decade. You know that. Why you ask?"

Red gazed up at the horizon like she always did when something was on her mind. "I had a run in with a pirate near the territory border today…" she started slowly, picking up a rock from on top of a small hill and set it down next to her for Joe to sit on.

"Nothing new there," Joe said as he sat on the rock at Red's feet.

"No," Red agreed. "Nothing unusual until he called me by name."

"So you're reputation exceeds you," Joe shrugged. "It was bound to happen sooner or later with all the butt you've been kicking."

"No," Red shook her head. "I meant my real name."

Joe perked up at this. "Oh. Well that is unusual." He rubbed at the gray patches of fur on his chin. "But, you haven't made it a secret that your name isn't really 'Red.' Maybe he was just trying to throw you off-"

"It was more than that."

Joe sighed. "Of course. It would've taken more that a simple name to upset you."

"He mentioned…"

Red sighed and her eyes darkened. "He mentioned them."

Joe looked up at the mammoth in shock. "Them?"

Red nodded. "By name. And he talked about him…a lot. And in detail."

"Oh," Joe scratched his head. "Oh, that is odd."

Red nodded. "Only thing I can think of is that Renee tipped him off."

"Rubbing elbows, or in her case trunks, with pirates is certainly not beneath her. But why would she show back up after almost ten years?" Joe wondered.

"I was hoping you'd know," Red confessed. "You knew her longer than anyone."

Joe sighed and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. I was best friends with your mother growing up, Red, but I was never close to Renee. Even as a child she was…off."

Red hung her head and sighed. "Well, something's going on."

"And you'll get to the bottom of it," Joe patted Red's knee (it was as high as he could reach on her). "You always do."


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, normally I try to avoid author notes, but I just want to apologize because when I first uploaded this chapter, it was a total jumbled mess. I have no idea how that happened, but hopefully now it will be fixed. Again, sorry about that.**

"Has anyone seen Sid and Granny?" Manny asked in exasperation as he and Diego made his way into a clearing where the majority of the herd was lounging about. Ellie shook her head as she stood up from where she had been helping Peaches untangle a flower that had gotten knotted into the fur behind her ear.

"I though they were with you two."

"Well, they were," Manny sighed. "But then-"

"Ten seconds," Diego growled. "We took our eyes off them for ten seconds and, poof!"

"Oh, chill out, will you?" Manny cried.

"Wait," Peaches chuckled. "Dad is telling Diego to chill out? What's happening here, shouldn't it be the other way around?"

"Ha ha," Manny rolled his eyes at his daughter's comment, though a ghost of a smile hovered over his face.

Diego half-sighed, half-growled again. "Of all the times those two walking mold beds could have gone missing, why'd it have to be thirty minutes before I was supposed to meet Shira?"

"Now you know how Ellie and I have felt for the past twenty years," Manny said.

Diego glared at his friend and began grumbling under his breath about stupid sloths.

"Oh, come on," Manny rolled his eyes. "Shira knew what she was getting herself into when she decided to be your mate. She's not gonna walk out on you because a senile sloth and his grandmother went missing. Just relax."

"Wait," Peaches jumped to her feet. "Dad told someone to relax twice under five minutes instead of freaking out himself? I must be trippin'."

"Don't make me ground you."

"Oh, there he is. He's back guys."

"Peaches, I'm warning you," Manny called over his shoulder before turning to a nearby tree where Crash and Eddie were playing to ask them if they'd seen the two missing sloths.

Peaches made a face at her father while his back was turned, but in an instant he turned around and pointed at his daughter.

"You're pushing it today, kiddo," he said, trying to sound aggravated, even though a smile escaped onto his face.

"What, I wasn't doing nothing."

"Uh-huh. Liar."

"I wasn't. Momma-"

"Nope, you're on your own, sweet heart," Ellie grinned as she watched her daughter and husband tease one another.

"What? No fair!" Peaches cried in protest.

"No, your mother just knows how to pick and choose her fights. Right, Ellie?"

"Yeah, like how I gave up trying to talk sense into your hard head ages ago," Ellie replied, with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Hey, hey, hey, whose side are you on?" Manny asked as Peaches tried to hold back her laughter, and epically failed.

"Stop laughing at your father," Manny turned back on the giggling teenager as she tied to get it together, but simply couldn't. "I don't know what's gotten into you today but you-"

"Okay, enough playing around," Diego interrupted. "Can we please try and find Sid and Granny?"

"Okay, okay," Manny sighed. "We'll go looking for him but for the last time, relax." He quickly turned to his still giggling daughter. "And don't you say a word."

Ellie shook her head as she walked to her family's side. "We'll go this way. You find Shira and you two can look that way. Crash and Eddie can ask around to see if anyone's seen them."

Diego nodded and started off to find his mate of two months. They'd only dated ten months before they decided they wanted to be together forever. A short time, perhaps, but when you know, you know.

He soon found her resting under a tree near a waterfall that flowed into a river out to sea. Though no longer a pirate, the sound of water still relaxed Shira, and she liked to nap where she could hear waves crashing or water flowing. Diego sighed. He didn't want to wake her, but the longer those two idiots were out there unsupervised, the more trouble they'd cause. Diego gently poked her in the shoulder with his paw until she woke up. She frowned as she first opened her eyes, then smiled at the sight of him.

"Hey," she called grinning. "What's up?"

"Sid and Granny are missing," Diego sighed.

"Well, there's nothing new," Shira stretched before standing up. "So, which direction are we looking in."

Good old Shira. Nothing ever fazed that woman. Diego smiled in pride at her and was about to point her in their designated course, when Crash came swooping down from a tree. Diego blinked. It was odd to ever see one twin without the other, and the look on the possum's face told him immediately that something was wrong.

"Guys, Eddie and I found Sid and Granny, but you're never gonna guess who's with them and…Oh, it's just bad! Just come! Quick! This way!"

Crash took off. Shira and Diego shared a concerned glance before bounding off after him. "Bad" for the twins almost always equaled "awesomesauce" or "realdope" or whatever it was they said to each other to try and sound cool. So the fact that Crash was genuinely freaked out couldn't have been good. Crash slowed when they neared the beach and motioned for them to be quiet as he beckoned them behind a large rock pile and pointed them to peak over the edge.

Hanging upside down, tied to and old tree in the middle of the beach were the two missing sloths in question, bound and gagged, and guarding them was no other than…

"Is that Gutt?" Shira asked in astonishment.

The old gorilla's fur was bleached pure white and he had an old stump in the place of one of his legs, but there was no denying that it was indeed their old enemy.

"Are you freaking kind me!" came Manny's voice from behind them as he, Ellie, and Peaches came up and hid behind the rock pile, Eddie leading them.

"I thought you got rid of him," Shira shouted, or sharply whispered, as she didn't want to draw the old pirate's attention, to Manny.

"Yeah, so did I," Manny replied.

Silence fell, except for Sid's babbling attempts at negotiating his freedom, which Gutt seemed to be ignoring, as the herd examined the situation.

"It looks like he's alone," Diego finally said.

"Alright, I'm gonna go out there. Diego, you get Sid and Granny, the rest of you stay here in case we need back up."

Everyone nodded in agreement as Manny made his way out.

"I thought I made it clear when I sent you flying I didn't want you coming back," he called.

Gutt turned his head and smiled evilly. "Ah, I was wondering how long it would take you to show up," he stood up from his guarding spot. "How have you been?"

Diego now crept his way out and began to sneak over to where the two sloths were held captive.

"I was fine, until just now," Manny answered, watching the pirate carefully. He looked awful. Thin, fur white and patchy, and he was missing a limb.

Gutt just grinned. "Well, sorry for popping in on such short notice, but I'm in a hurry."

"Okay, Gutt, we both know how this is going to end. You look like death, you can barely walk. Just get out of here and leave us alone before I have to hurt you."

"Oh, I'm not here to fight," Gutt put a hand to his chest. Manny shuddered slightly. His deadly claws were still intact. That could cause some trouble. Manny glanced quickly to the tree where Sid and Granny were tied. Diego had already started cutting at the vines that had them tied. He just had to keep Gutt busy for a while longer.

"If you're not here to fight, what do you want?"

"I just want to talk, that's all. Put the past behind us."

"You're kidding, right?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm not here to make friends. I still hate you."

"Gee, thanks."

"But, as you put it, I look like death and can barely walk," he motioned to the stump now replacing his leg. "As much as it pains me to admit it, you won the battle."

Manny narrowed his eyes. Gutt was playing him. He had to be. But what was his plan…

"Yeah, okay, so…?

"So, as I said, let's put the past behind us and move on with our lives. I just have a few questions I need answers to before I can get along with things."

Manny checked over at the tree again. Diego was still working on it. He needed to keep Gutt distracted a little longer, which meant playing along.

"Okay, what?"

Gutt grinned evilly. "Exactly how long did you think you could hide Leona and Harriet from me?"

Manny insides turned cold, and his heart grew tight as the all to familiar images flew through his mind. Human hunting cries. Spears. Stones. Leona's final blood curdling scream. Manny shook his head to rid himself of the nightmare and then stared at Gutt, jaw dropped.

Gutt's grin grew wider.

"How…" was the only word Manny could out.

Gutt chuckled and shook his head. "Didn't see that coming, did you? Well, to be honest neither did I. I must say, you are full of surprises. But, in all sincerity, how long did you think you could keep her hidden before I'd find out."

Manny's head was still spinning, but he managed to make out what Gutt had said. "What…huh?"

"Oh, come on, Manny, enough with the act. How exactly you managed to keep her hidden from me the first time is a miracle within itself, but did you really think you could hide her forever?"

"Her…who…who are you talking about?"

Gutt sighed and shook his head. "Not giving up easily I see. Well, what did I expect?"

"How did you find out about them?" Manny finally managed to asked.

Gutt chuckled. "Let's just say, I'm not the first enemy you've made. But, you probably already knew that."

"Manny!" Both Gutt and Manny turned just in time to see Ellie pick up a log and smash it into Gutt's face. Within seconds the whole herd had gathered around Manny, shielding him from Gutt. Gutt grinned as he looked up, then his eyes narrowed as he examined each member in detail. Everyone glanced around at each other, unsure of what was going on.

Gutt suddenly let out a loud laugh. Everyone jumped, except for Manny who was still staring dazed at Gutt. Gutt turned and glared at Manny, an evil grin on his face.

"Oh, this is just delicious!"

"What are you doing here, Gutt?" Shira demanded to know.

Gutt didn't answer, but jumped to his feet, ran to the ocean's edge and dove in before anyone could catch him. Diego and Shira dove to swim after him, but before they could reach him, a ship appeared around the corner. Everyone froze in terror. Flynn, Gupta, Dobson, Raz, Silas, Squint, they were all there.

To the herd's surprise, though, they didn't attack. They simply retrieved their captain from the water and sailed off.

"As I said, old friend," Gutt called. "You won the battle. But not the war!"

Everyone stared in horrified wonder as the ship disappeared. Gutt and his crew were back, which could only mean trouble was ahead. After the ship disappeared, Ellie and Peaches turned to Manny, who was staring at the ground, brow furrowed, eyes wild with confusion.

"Dad, what happened?" Peaches asked timidly as she knelt next to her father. "What did he say to you?"

"Manny?" Ellie gently set her trunk on his cheek and turned him to face her. "Are you okay?"

Manny shook his head.

"How did he find out about them?"


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two:

"So, Gutt knows about your first family?" Diego asked as the herd gathered in a clearing far away from the usual crowds, and hopefully away from any eavesdroppers.

Manny nodded. "Called them both by name, and asked me how long I thought I could keep it a secret."

"This doesn't make sense," Ellie frowned in confusion. "The only ones you ever told about them are in this circle right now. How did he find out?"

"Maybe one of us told him," Crash suggested as he shot Shira an accusing glance.

"Don't look at me," Shira replied. "I'm just now learning about this. And even if I had told him, why would he tell you that he knew about them. What does he have to gain?"

No one answered. None of them had any ideas to suggest.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"…well?"

Gutt grumbled as he plodded to the end of his ship where a group of 5 mammoths all stood; two males, and three females. All of them were various shapes, sizes, and had fur colors ranging from an apricot blond, to the almost black shade that the leader of the bunch, an exceptionally tall and buff female with a sinister grin on her face. Despite their differences, they all had one thing in common: they all had striking violet eyes.

"Keep your fur on, I did as you said," Gutt replied to the leader's question. She smiled.

"Excellent."

"I don't see why we couldn't have just taken them now," Gutt grumbled as he shook himself dry.

"Do you want him to suffer as much as possible or not?" the female mammoth asked as she cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Of course I do, but how-"

"You'll see in time."

"I thought we were partners in this, Renee..." Gutt seethed.

"We are," Renee replied. "You're the brawn, and I'm the brains."

"Just the brawn, eh? You know this is my ship, I don't have to keep-"

"And where would you be without me and my brothers and sisters? Last time I checked, I'm the one who knows where our little friend is hiding, not you." Renee reminded him, to which he hung his head in disgusted defeat. "Besides, as soon as we get what we want, we'll be out of your fur."

"And how long will that be?" Gutt mumbled under his breath.

"Not long now," Renee promised. "Not long at all…"

"Wow," Louis sighed after Peaches finished telling him the story of what had happened along the beach that morning. "That's…crazy. I didn't even know your dad had another family before you and your mom."

"We don't talk about them much," Peaches explained.

"Well, if that's true, how did the pirates find out about it?"

"We don't know," Peaches answered. "That's the problem."

The two friends sat in silence for a while longer, neither fully sure of what to do or say next.

"So, what are you guys going to do?" Louis finally asked.

"I'm not sure," Peaches asked.

"Well, I can answer that for you," a voice came from behind the two teenagers. They both turned to see Shira walking up behind them.

"Even if we're not sure what Gutt is up to, we can be sure it's not good, so we're going after him."

"Well, I could have guessed that," Peaches rolled her eyes. "I just didn't know what we were doing beyond that."

"We'll figure it out along the way," Shira shrugged. "Not the most watertight paln, but with this crew that's the best you can do."

Peaches chuckled, the grew serious. "How's Dad?"

"Your father's fine. A little shook up, but fine."

Peaches nodded, head hung. Shira arched an eyebrow, concerned, and took two steps towards the mammoth.

"How are you?"

Peaches shrugged. "Okay I guess."

"It must be hard," Shira said. "Having a sister and stepmother you never met."

Peaches shrugged. "Maybe. I don't know. Well…like you said I never knew them, so I can't really miss them. But I know Dad does, and…and…"

"You feel guilty because you can't understand his pain," Shira finished.

Peaches looked at her in astonishment. "How do you know that?"

Shira chuckled sadly. "It's along story, one I'll be sure to tell you later, but for now we have to go."

Peaches nodded and she and Louis followed the tiger back to the beach. A boat was already being prepared and loaded with supplies.

"Gutt won't be far," she called. "We can catch up to him if we catch a ride on some currents."

"How do we know he won't hitch a ride on the currents?" Diego asked.

"Because of his condition," Shira replied. "He can't afford to be bounced around or caught in a storm. He'd probably fall apart."

"That might not be a bad thing," Manny answered coldly. Ellie, standing next to him bit her lip in concern. He hadn't been acting right since the incident that afternoon, but could anyone blame him? Peaches also noticed, and her eyes grew concerned once more.

Shira, however, still being the newbyie, was oblivious. "We won't figure out what he's up to if he's in pieces. Now let's go, we've got some catching up to-"

"Wait," Diego sighed aggravatedly. "Granny, where's Sid?"

The elderly sloth smacked Diego upside the head with her cane from where she was seated atop a pile of seaweed.

"You think I keep up with the boy, y'all the ones who supposed to be watching him! I'm too old to see nothin' no how!"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

 **AN: So, yeah, my life got busy and I kinda forgot about this story. So sorry!**

"Noah, darling! Pass me another melon will you?" Renee asked as she sat around a campfire on the tiny, wooded island they'd made port at. Gutt crossed his arms as he watched her and her siblings laugh and joke about with one another. He tapped his one remaining foot impatiently. They were loosing time! Why'd they have to stop? "To rest" was what Renee had said, but what did she know? They had a boat for crying out loud! They could sleep on the boat! They did last night, so why stop now.

"What are we doing here, exactly?" Gutt finally asked.

"Relaxing," Renee answered. "My dear Gutt, you should try it sometime. Too much tension really takes its toll on you."

"I thought we were on a mission."

"Oh, we are," Renee assured him. "But there's no rush. In order for my plan to work, we need our old foe to have some time to, oh, stew things over in that thick head of his."

"And why is that?"

"Mind games, my friend, mind games," Renee answered.

"You trying to pick his brains for something?"

"Yes."

"What?"

"Doubt. Guilt. Rage. Unreliable memories. Several things."

"Hm," Gutt smiled evilly. "I'm not quite sure where you're going with this, but I think I like it."

"Oh, you will," Renne promised. "You most certainly will."

"Hm." Gutt said again. "Well, since we're stuck here for the night, mind telling me what your connection to him?"

"Manfred?" Renee asked. "Oh, I've known him since from the time we were children until her ran off after the human attack. Haven't seen or heard from him since."

"Why'd it take you so long to find him?"

"I wasn't looking," Renee shrugged.

"I though you said you wanted revenge on him like me," Gutt's eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Oh, goodness no. The fellow's done nothing to me to deserve revenge."

"Then why-"

"He's a pawn," Renee rolled her eyes. "I need him to make my plans work."

"Oh," Gutt grinned in evil happiness at this revelation.

"So the vengeance end of the deal is all mine?"

"So it would seem," Renee nodded before shooting Gutt a warning glance. "But I still need him and his daughter alive, so don't get any ideas."

Gutt growled as he rolled his eyes.

"Once I'm done with him, though, by all means do what you want with him. He did nothing to warrant my vengeance or protection, so I couldn't care less what becomes of him or his little friends when my purposes have been met."

"Alrighty," Gutt sighed. "Now that I know your connection or lack there of with him, what about his first love? Leona was it?"

"Oh, her?" Renee shrugged. "Same story, only she's already dead, poor soul."

"And I suppose the same for Harriet?"

"With a few more twists and turns, yes," Renee agreed.

"So, who's Red?" Gutt asked. "And how is she connected to all this? You really should have told me more than the script you gave me to deliver to him. I didn't even know what I was saying half the time."

"Red?" Renee arched an eyebrow, catching onto Gutt's sarcastic tone. "Oh, she's special."

"Yeah, specially strong," Gutt rubbed the still lingering bruise on his side. "But how's she connected, exactly?" he challenged.

"Don't worry, my dear Gutt, you will see in due time."

"I think I already see," Gutt replied. "But if you are so unconcerned with Manny, and Leona, and, dare I say it, even little Harriet, why so concerned with Red?"

"My reasons are my own," Renee stated simply, nestling down for the night.

"So, when are we going to get to 7 points?" Gutt asked. "If you don't mind my asking, my dear Renee?"

"Really, Gutt, its not nice to mock people. I would have thought you'd know that. But, a week I suppose. That should give him time to mull things over and our little friend time to calm down from your earlier encounter."

Gutt grunted, unhappy, but settled down to sleep. Neither noticed the two possums watching over them from the top of the trees.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

"Renee?" Manny asked, coming closer to his brother's on the boat hidden at the other end of the island. "You're sure that was her name?"

"Yup," Eddie nodded. "And she had really dark, almost black fur, and purple eyes-"

"Purple?" Manny voice went higher with shock. "A female mammoth named Renee with purple eyes is working with Gutt?"

"Yup," Crash answered.

"Do you know her?" Ellie asked.

"Yeah," Manny nodded slowly, a confused look on his face. "Yeah, I know her."

Everyone was quiet, waiting for him to go on. When he didn't, Diego spoke up.

"So, who is she."

"She's Leona's sister," Manny answered.

A small gasp ran through the herd at the revelation.

"Well, that would explain how Gutt found out about her and Harriet," Shira nodded. "But why would she team up with him? What does she have against you?"

"Nothing that I know of," Manny shrugged. "I haven't even seen her since…well…"

"Huh," Shira frowned. "And, you two never fought? Never got mad at each other? What exactly was your relationship with her?"

Manny shrugged. "I hooked up with her sister, that was about it. Renee didn't talk to me unless I asked her a question. She was…well…she was weird. I honestly couldn't tell you if she liked me or not. She hardly acknowledged I existed.

"Did…Leona say anything about what Renee thought about you?" Peaches asked quietly.

Manny thought for a minute then shook his head. "No, not really. She was shy around men because their father abandon them when they were toddlers. That's all she really told me, that Renee would eventually warm up if stuck around long enough. Never happened, but…"

"Did you hear them say anything else?" Shira asked. "Anything at all?"

"Well," Crash thought. "They said they'd go to a place called 7 points in a week to meet a friend."

"7 points?" Shira asked a little surprised.

"You know where it is, babe?" Diego asked.

"It's an island formation where a lot of outlanders live."

"Out-what?" Sid asked.

"Outlanders. Folks who don't have a herd because they're sick, or deformed, or maimed, or just, don't fit in."

"Kind of like us?" Peaches asked.

Shira thought. "A little bit, but less fortunate. They usually go to 7 points because they have nowhere else to go."

"Let me guess, rough bunch?" Diego asked.

"Very," Shira nodded. "Gutt said he used to go there a long time ago to scout out recruits, until someone called Red showed up and became turf leader and chased him o-"

"What was that name?" Manny asked, eyes suddenly wide.

"Red. Do you know Red too?" Shira asked, excitedly.

Manny's eyes grew even wider and rubbed his head as if he were having a headache.

"Hon?" Ellie asked, scared. "Do you him? Or her?" Ellie turned back to Shira "Which is it?"

"I…" Manny shook his head. "No. No. I can't."

"Can't?" Ellie asked. "What does that mean?"

"I…I was thinking about someone else, never mind, I don't know her."

"I didn't tell you Red was female," Shira said, arching an eyebrow. "Sure you don't know her?"

Manny shook his head. "It can't be the same Red I'm thinking of."

Shira stared him down, not convinced, but nodded. "Okay, let's head towards 7 points. Maybe someone there has seen Renee or Gutt recently and knows what they're up to?"

 **AN: So…who do you think Red is? And Does Manny really know her or not?**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four:

Shira sat alone at the front of the boat and tapped her claws on the harsh ice as she thought over the events of the night.

"Hey," she turned to find Diego standing behind her. "Whatcha thinking about?"

"You think Manny was lying about not knowing Red?" Shira asked.

"Why would he?"

"I dunno," Shira sighed as she set her head down ontop of her paws. "He just seems to be acting…od."

"Well, this is hard on him. He never really talks about his first family, and now all of this comes out in one day, and his former sister-in-law is working with Gutt-"

"I know I just, I don't know…" Shira sighed as she gazed up at the moon. Diego laid his head on top of hers.

"Neither do I, I wish I did, though," he sighed.

"I know," Shira mumbled.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

It took them two days to reach seven points, which was just seven large islands with a mountain at the center of each. They landed at the first island and stepped off the boat. There were a few animals wandering along on the beach, and they eyed the newcomers with long, suspicious glances. Peaches scooted closer to her parents as she felt the weight of their gazes on her. They slowly stepped further inland and everyone there began to back away.

Sid, stereotypically unaware of anything going on ran up to an antelope and asked.

"Hey, hazsh anyone named Renee or Gutt been-"

"Nope."

"Are you sure-oh, okay."

"This is going to be harder than we thought, isn't it?" Eddie whispered to his brother.

 **IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII**

Two days, and no luck later, they moved on from the first island to the second. The initial arrival was just the same, long suspicious glances, cold shoulders, and quick "no's."

"Maybe they really don't have a friend here," Sid finally wondered as their third day of unsuccessful searching drew near to a close. "Maybe they're making stuff up. Or they're just plain crazy."

"Yeah, because you'd nothing about being crazy, would you, Sid?" Diego asked in an agitated and exhausted voice.

"If they didn't know anyone or anything, why would they be headed here?" Shira asked. "There's got to be somebody here who knows something about them and their plans."

"Oh, maybe we should start asking for Red," Sid suggested. "You mentioned her before. Maybe she knows."

Shira shook her head. "She's just the turf leader, and she doesn't like pirates. She wouldn't know what they're up to."

She turned to Manny and gave him a suspicious stare. "Unless perhaps she has a relationship with Renee we don't know about."

"I already told you, I don't know this Red," Manny sighed as he sat down and ran his trunk over his face. He was exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

"You're sure?"

"For the thousandth time, yes. I knew someone who went by Red, but it can't be the one."

"How do you know?"

"I know."

"Who was this Red of yours, anyway? What was your connection?"

Manny shook his head. "Nothing. Just forget it. I don't know her, and you're not going to get any of us anywhere trying to tell me otherwise."

A yak wandered past and Sid, ever the optimist waltzed up to her and asked:

"Exshcuse me shir, but we are trying to find out what shome certain folksh might be up to. Go by the names of Gutt and Renee."

"Don't know 'em," the yak answered. "But you might wanna check with Old Burly. He knows everyone who's ever come to seven points."

"Old Burly? Where's he?" Manny asked, suddenly interested.

"Sits by the waterfall about a thirty minute's walk east of here. Can't miss him," the yak wandered off and the herd exchanged glances.

"Well, it's worth a shot," Diego shrugged, and everyone began pulling themselves up on their feet to go investigate. It took them about forty five minutes to get there because of their exhaustion and, well, Sid. But they eventually made it to the waterfall, and found an old, shriveled looking monkey sitting on a rock nearby.

"Oh, great, another primate," Manny groaned.

Ellie gave him a light slap on the shoulder. "He's the best chance we've got at this point."

Manny sighed and stepped up to the old monkey.

"Um, hi, Old Burly?"

"Yeah, sonny, how can I help you?" the monkey asked politely.

"Um, we're trying to find out what a couple of folks who may have visited here were up to, their names are Renee and Gutt, do you know them?"

"Hm," the monkey began tapping his finger on his jaw. "It's possible, but the names ain't ringing any bells. What they look like?"

"Well, Gutt's a giant ape, and his fur's been bleached white, and he's missing a leg, and has sharp claws on his hands."

"Hm…don't think I've made his acquaintance."

"Lucky," Diego murmured under his breath, to which Shira chuckled.

"What 'bout the other one?" Old Burly asked.

"Renee? Um, she's a mammoth. Really tall and strong, even for her species. She's got dark, almost black fur, and violet eyes-"

"Oh, wait, violet eyes you say?" Old Burly asked, perking up.

"Yeah, you know her?" Manny asked, hoping the answer was 'yes.'

"Hm. Well, the dark fur and being larger than most her species isn't familiar, but violet eyes, kind of reminds me of our turf leader, Red."

Everyone's mouths dropped opened at the revelations. Red again?

"Yeah, she's got a kind of burgundy color fur, though, and she's a bit on smaller end of the spectrum, for mammoths. Also got four big scars, right here on the left side of her face," Old Burly motioned to the his left brow down to his jawline. With each description, Manny's eyes were getting wider and wider, like he was seeing a ghost. "She never told me where she got them from, but didn't look like any natural injury to me. Looked like someone took a sharp object and started hacking at her."

Manny nearly toppled over at that last statement, but Old Burly didn't seem to notice.

"Yeah, don't sound like your Renee. But violet eyes are a very rare trait, especially in mammoths. Maybe they're related? You should ask her."

By now, Manny was gone, he'd stumbled away back into the woods a dazed look on his face. Everyone watched him go with worry and followed after him, leaving Old Burly recounting his tales.

"I remember when I first met Red-"

Shira suddenly stopped, and ran back to ask him one more thing.

"Hey, real quick, how old is Red?"

"How old's Red? Oh, mid to late twenties. But she was only a little bitty-"

"Thank you," Shira ran off, Old Burly not noticing.

"-whipper snapper who'd somehow snuck her way off the continent, this was before it split, y'know-"

By now Manny stopped leaning against a large chunk of ice, trying to take in what he'd just heard. It couldn't be…it just couldn't…

"Manny?"

"Dad?"

Ellie and Peaches ran up to him, terrified.

"Hon, what's wrong? What happened back there?"

"I…I…I…"

"Dad, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine kiddo, I'm just-"

"Okay," Shira boomed as she caught up to the three mammoths just behind Diego. "Spill the beans. You know Red, I don't care what you said. You would not have reacted the way you did unless you didn't know her, how do you know her?"

"I can't though," Manny shook his head. "There's no way!"

"What do you mean 'no way?' Who was Red? You clearly knew someone by that name, so who-"

"It was Harriet, okay!" Manny finally shouted. "My first daughter. Red was the nickname I gave her when she was learning to talk because she couldn't say her name right. All she could say was Hariy-Red. So I started calling her Red, but it can't…there's no way…"

Silence feel over the group as everyone exchanged questioning and amazed glances.

"Dad, did…" Peches began. "Did Harriet have violet eyes?"

"Yes. She, Leona, and Renee all had violet eyes. But it can't…"

"How old would she be if she were alive today?" Shira asked.

"I…" Manny thought for a moment. "Twenty-Seven."

"Old Burly said Red was in her mid to later twenties," Shira replied. "Manny…I think Red's Harriet."

"But…" Manny shook his head. "It can't be…she…I saw her…and Leona…they…"

"What did you see, exactly?" Shira asked. "Did you see Harriet's body?"

"Y-" Manny stopped for a moment, then gasped, shook his head and answered. "No, I didn't. But she got buried under the boulders they threw down on her and Leona. There's now way she could have survived."

Everyone shared glances again, silent.

"Um…buddy," Diego finally spoke up. "I think she might have."

Another silence followed.

"Think about it," Shira said. "It all makes since. Gutt would only risk coming back if he knew he had a way to get back at you. What better way than killing a child you already lost once? You said Renee never said much to you but, maybe she did have it out for you, and when she heard Gutt was going after you, let him in on this secret so they could-"

"Renee," Manny finally said. "She…after the attack I passed out. When I woke up, Renee was with me. She told me she went back to see if maybe Leona or Harriet were alive after the humans left and they were both dead. She's the one who told me Harriet was dead."

"You think she lied?" Shira asked.

"Why would she do that? That was her niece and brother-in-law," Ellie gasped.

"I don't know," Manny groaned as he put his trunk to his head. "I don't know! I don't know! I don't know!"

"Hey," Ellie grabbed him by she shoulder and forced him to look at her. "We'll figure it out, you're gonna be okay."

Manny quieted down, but still looked bewildered and totally confused. Ellie cupped his face in her trunk and smiled reassuringly at him.

"You'll be okay."

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that," came a horrifically familiar voice from behind them. Everyone turned and found Gutt, his crew, Renee, and several other mammoths coming out of the trees, surrounding them.

"Good to see you all again, my old friends," Gutt grinned. "Manny, I believe you and Renee have met."

Renee smiled cruelly at him as he glared at her. "Hello, brother. Miss me?"


	6. Chapter 5

**AN: TWO YEARS AND FINALLY A NEW UPDATE! WHAT! Yeah, SO sorry about that. I'll be honest, I totally forgot this was a thing! I mean, I knew I'd started writing this but I forgot I ever posted it until recently! So...shoutout to PATT for leaving a comment and reminding me that this was a thing! I promise the next chapter won't take two years! Again, so sorry!**

Chapter Five:

Everyone stared at the crowd standing in front of them.

"Shira," Gutt nodded in feigned politeness to his old first mate. Shira growled at him while scanning around, looking for a possible method of escape.

Manny blinked, taken back by the seeing of his former sister-in-law for the first time in 20+ years.

"Renee, what are you doing? Why are you with him?" he pointed to Gutt.

"Aw, don't take it personal little brother," Renee said. "I wish no harm for you. But-Well, sometimes sacrifices must be made in order for us to get what we want. I'm sure you understand."

"Uh...no. No I don't." Manny answered.

"Hm. You never were the sharpest icicle at the top of the cave-"

 _Rum-rum-rum-rumble!_ Everyone looked about to find that there was rockslide headed their way, Crash and Eddie (who had snuck off) running ahead of it.

"We made a distraction! Run!" they shouted.

"You don't announce distractions, guys!" Peaches scolded, though she and everyone else had already taken off. The rock slide, though effective enough to given them enough time to start running, it didn't give them enough time to get very far ahead.

"Get them!" Gutt screeched. "Get all of them!"

"Split up!" Manny yelled to the rest of the herd as he turned and took off in a direction different than any of the others were headed.

Gutt's crew began to chase after the herd, when Renne shouted:

"No, stop! Just get Manfred and his daughter. Don't worry about the rest, we don't need them for what I have planned."

"Yes, Renee," the other mammoths, who had stayed standing behind her the whole time, answered before they took off.

"Excuse me?" Gutt asked. "'Don't worry about the rest?'"

"You said you only wanted revenge on him, did you not?"

"No!" Gutt screeched. "I want to get all of them!"

"Well, too bad," Renee shrugged. "I only agreed to help you get him."

"Well, good for you, then. I'll just get the rest of them myself. Gent-"

Renee slammed her trunk over Gutt's mouth.

"My dearest Gutt, I know you have brains so do try to use them every now and then. If you really want to take your anger out on the entire herd, might I suggest taking them down one at a time? Like I said, I have agreed to help you get back at Manfred, and I am a woman of my word. So, be patient and wait until I get what I want. Then I'll give you what I promised you. Without their leader, the rest of the group will be scattered, scared, and easy for you to pick off."

Gutt's eyes narrowed as he pushed Renee's trunk away. "Y'know, it might be nice for you to keep me in the loop with your hair-schemed plans." He turned to his crew, all of whom were exchanging confused glances. "Alright, you landlubbers! Get the mammoth and his daughter!"

Manny pushed through a wall of vines, trying to get as far ahead of whoever would be coming after him as possible. As he broke through he felt a sharp pain in the side of his face and was pushed over. He turned to find one of the mammoths who had been standing with Renee standing over him. It was a male, about Manny's size, with a greyish brown coat and…

...violet eyes. Manny blinked, taken aback at the sight, but he quickly snapped out of it when this mammoth took another swing at him. He dodged it, jumped back to his feet and charged at the other mammoth. The two locked tusks, each trying to push the other one over. Manny was just starting to gain ground when he felt another force collide into his side.

Another one of Renee's mammoths had joined the fight. This one was female, had a light apricot colored coat and, again, violet eyes. She was smaller than him and the other one, but that charge she'd taken at him had made it clear she was not to be taken lightly. Manny rubbed his bruised size as he got back to his feet, ready to keep fighting.

If these two were coming after him that meant they weren't going for the others. The female charged for him again. This time he was able to dodge her. He made sure to keep one leg out to trip her, though, which sent her tumbling for quite a few feet away. The male and him locked tusks again. Pushing back against him was harder this time. Manny still hadn't quite gotten back all the breath the female had knocked out of him. She must have been made out of nothing but muscle to be that lean and be able to pack that much of a punch!

The female got back to her feet, and came running back towards him. Manny took a few steps back, letting the male gain on him just enough that he was the one standing in the way of the female's charge. Both of the enemies realized what was happening, but not soon enough to stop it. The female collided right into her comrade, sending them stumbling over each other, which gave Manny an opportunity to run away.

As he ran he tried to think. That was two enemies down, for the moment that was. Gutt was in no condition to fight. His crew, though a force to be reckoned with when together, were not much of a threat when each member was on their own. That only left Renee and the other two mammoths she'd had with her. Wherever they were-

Manny turned ducked under an ice formation, turned to go around a large, jutting piece of stone, and froze once he saw what was behind it.

The other two mammoths that had been with Renee were waiting for him. One, a rather burly male, had Peaches's pinned to the ground: her head under his foot. He held her trunk, twisted behind her head. The other, a female, was holding a sharp rock knife to Peaches' neck.

"Where do you think you're going?" the female asked him, an evil glint in her, AGAIN, violet eyes as she pressed the knife closer against Peaches' neck.

"Don't hurt her!" Manny begged.

"Not planning on it," the male answered. "So long as you do as you're told."

"Dad, run!" Peaches shouted.

Manny didn't though. He simply nodded in agreement.

"Smart fella," the female grinned. She removed the knife and the male let Peaches stand up. The minute she was on her feet he seized her again, holding her tightly around the shoulders. Peaches tried to swing at him, but the female caught her trunk and held it tight.

"No you don't!" she hissed.

"Hey, I'm cooperating, let her go!" Manny shouted.

"We said we wouldn't hurt her," the male explained. "We didn't say we'd let her go. Besides, how we going to make sure you don't take off once our backs are turned?"

"Dad, just go!" Peaches begged.

Manny glared at the two. He wanted more than anything to rip them away from his baby girl and tear them to shreds. But they had a weapon, and they were restraining his daughter. Even if he were to try and attack them, they would just slit Peaches' throat before he reached them.

"If I go with you back to Renee and Gutt will you let her go then?" he asked.

"That's up to Renee and Gutt to decide," the female shrugged. "But we can call off the chase after your other friends. Your wife is still out there isn't she? Wouldn't want her getting tangled in this too now would we?"

Peaches gasped at the thought of her mother being taken by...well, whoever these guys were.

Manny glared at them, then turned and looked at Peaches. She was trying to stay brave but he could tell she was terrified. He thought for a moment. Again, Gutt couldn't fight. He was too beat up and weak. The rest though…

...There was no way he could take on all of them by himself and win. But maybe, just maybe, he could distract them long enough, if given the right opportunity, for Peaches to escape. It was a long shot, but it was the only option he had. And his chances would only grow slimmer if he had Peaches _and_ Ellie to worry about.

"Okay, fine!" he agreed. "Call them off, and I'll go with you. But, please, don't hurt her."

"Of course not!" the female assured him. "C'mon, just because we're on different sides doesn't mean we can't be reasonable, does it?"

She let go of Peaches just long enough to set off a series of trumpets, apparently some sort of signal to call off the chase.

"Let's move, now," the male ordered as he pushed Peaches ahead of him. "We haven't got all day! Renee doesn't like to be left waiting!"

Manny followed behind him. The female brought up the rear. It only took a few minutes for them to be brought back to Gutt and Renee. Renee ran to greet them, beaming.

"Ah, Noah! Janice! Well done!"

She all but scooped Peached away from Noah. "So, Manfred, this is the little munchkin you've gone and replaced Harriet with."

"Shut up!" Manny hissed at her. "And let her go! I only agreed to come here if none of you hurt her."

"Oh, don't worry," Renee said as she shoved Peaches toward her father, who caught her before she hit the ground. Manny looked around, seeing if maybe they could take this chance to run. But, no. All of Gutt's crew and the two mammoths who had attacked them earlier had already returned and were surrounding them.

"Don't worry, at all," Renee continued. "I guarantee that none of _US_ will hurt her."

Manny insides went cold as he held Peached closer to him. "What's that supposed to mean."

"You'll see," Renee assured him as the crew and the other mammoths began closing in on them. "You'll see."

Ellie kept running. She wasn't sure if she was being followed, but she wasn't going to stop to find out. A loud trumpeting noise filled the air, followed by three short ones.

"Huh?" she wondered. That didn't sound like Manny or Peaches, which meant it was probably one of the bad guys. Probably some sort of signal, but what kind? Had one of the others been caught? Was it Manny? Was it Peaches? Were they oka-

Ellie got so caught up in her own worries she wasn't watching where she was going and ran right off of a hill and went tumbling down into a ditch. The tumble down was painful, but not nearly as painful as landing in the patch of briars that rested at the bottom.

"AUGH!" she screamed in pain as about a dozen or so briars embedded themselves into her skin. She blinked to stopped the blurring in her vision and looked about. The hill wasn't that steep. She could probably climb back out of it if she could pull herself out of these thorns. Gritting her teeth she forced herself to stand up, causing the thorns to cut what bits of her skin hadn't already been stabbed. As she made her way towards the hill, she began pulling out the thorns that were still stuck in her, only to find her body moving slower and slower, her legs getting stiffer and stiffer, and her vision growing blurrier and blurrier.

"What…?" she wondered out loud, only to find that her mouth was growing numb.

 _Poison!_ These thorns were poisonous, that was the only explanation! And she was all alone! No one knew where she was!

"Help! He-" she tried calling but her mouth became too numb to talk. Her legs froze up and she fell over. As a last attempt to save herself she tried dragging her way up the hill, but soon her trunk grew cold and lifeless as well. She couldn't move. She couldn't see. She couldn't call for help. All she could do was lay there wondering how long it would take for the poison to finish her off and if anyone would ever find her.

She wasn't sure how long she was stuck lying there. Could have been hours, could have only been a minute before she heard something moving towards her. It sounded big. A mammoth maybe? Manny or Peaches? While a part of her wanted it to be them so that she wouldn't be alone, she would hate for them to find her this way. The familiar sensation of a trunk grabbing hers broke through the icy coldness that had crept over her body after spending an eternity of just lying still.

Even from just this small touch she felt a twinge of familiarity.

Manny!

Or...was it?

This mammoth, whoever it was, had pulled her further up the hill, before slipping it's trunk under her shoulder, lifting her up just enough to slip it's head in between her front legs and carry her the rest of the way up.

The fur of this mammoth had the same texture and feel of Manny's, but now as she was being carried Ellie could tell that whoever this was had to be at least two feet shorter than him. In fact whoever this was couldn't have been that much bigger than Peaches, which was surprising considering they seemed to have no problem carrying her up the hill.

After a few moments Ellie felt herself being dropped onto flat ground. Her rescuer laid their trunk against her neck. Probably feeling for a pulse.

"You're okay," a woman's voice called from somewhere in the darkness. "Just hold on a few seconds longer."

Ellie's rescuer disappeared for a few minutes, leaving her time to analyze the voice that had just spoken to her. It was a female, clearly. But she had a pretty deep voice. Not gravely per say. In fact it had a bit of a warm tone to it, but it was still a deep voice none-the-less.

It reminded her of Manny's a bit.

Which was weird to say because, again, this voice clearly belonged to a woman. After a few moments Ellie heard the footsteps of her rescuer coming back. She laid something right at Ellie's mouth and told her:

"Okay, I need you to breathe in as deep as you can."

Ellie did so. A disgusting taste filled her mouth and she gagged.

"Yeah, I know, it's gross," the rescuer said. "But it will start freeing your muscles up. Just keep taking in deep breaths while I get these thorns out of you."  
Ellie did as she was told. The rescuers began running her trunk over Ellie's body, stopping every time she felt a thorn and pulling it out.

After about the fifth one the pain began to return, which was both a good thing and a bad thing. After about eight Ellie began to wince. Wince! She could move...a little bit. After twelve small pools of light began to break through the darkness, and she could finally bend her legs a bit and wave her trunk around, albeit weakly.

"Okay, I got them all," the rescuer said again. "Can you talk yet?"

"Um...y-y-y-y-yes," Ellie manage to mouth.

"Well, don't over do yourself," the rescuer warned. "Here, let me get you against something you can lean on. That'll at least take pressure off all your cuts."

The rescuer half-guided, half-carried her to what felt like a jutting piece of rock and leaned her against it.

"There you go," she said. "Now, we can either do one of two things. You can either wait for the rest of the paralysis to go away in about, oh, four hours. Or you can try to eat the fruit whose fumes you've been breathing in and cut the process down to thirty minutes. I'll warn you, though. It tastes like a rotten sloth's toenail buried in a pile of seaweed that's been sitting in the sun all day."

Just that description alone made Ellie gag. She had to get back on her feet though. She had to find the others and make sure they were okay.

"G-gimmee the furit."

"Okay, but just remember, I warned you."

The rescuer shoved the fruit into Ellie's mouth. It tasted just as bad as she'd been warned, but Ellie forced herself to keep it down.

"Wow, you didn't spit it out. You're only the fourth to manage that. Yours truly being the second."

Ellie's vision began to grow steadily cleared. The still lingering bits of numbness began to fade. She let out a deep sigh. She was going to be okay.

"Thank you!" she said as she began blinking her eyes to try and force them to focus quicker.

"Eh, don't mention it. You're not the first animal I've had to pull out of there. And you won't be the last. Speaking of which, I don't remember bumping into you. You new?"

"You could say that," Ellie shrugged her shoulders, both as a response and as an attempt to get life back into them.

"Alright, I guess? Well, if you got secrets feel free to keep them. I'm not the nosy type. I will ask your name though."

"Ellie, what's your…" Ellie's vision finally came back and her heart skipped a beat.

Her rescuers was a young female mammoth, somewhere in her mid to late twenties...and she looked just like Manny!

Her fur, the shape of her face, even the way she stood and the expression on her face: one eyebrow ever so slightly arched as if she were slightly suspicious of Ellie. Not that Ellie had any suspicious qualities about her. It just seemed, by the look on her face, this young woman was suspicious of anything new that crossed her path.

Like Manny was.

There were really only two differences (outside of her being female and much younger). She had four scars criss-crossing over the left side of her face: two forming an "X" on her cheek bone, one running along her jawline, and one going diagonally over her eye. Her eyes were the second difference. Rather than being a warm brown, they were a striking violet.

"My name?" the woman finished Ellie's question. "Eh, I got several. But most folks around here call me 'Red.'"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six:**

The sky was growing dark over the pirate's ship. Gutt's crew began lighting torches. Manny and Peaches were tied to two seperate masts, facing each other. They had both been gagged, so they couldn't speak to each other. Peaches had been blindfolded, yet Manny was allowed to see everything going on around him. Not that it was doing him any good. They had been tied up like this for hours, and there had still been no opportunity for an escape of any kind.

With only two captive, and no other activities to do as the ship had been anchored in spot all day, they pirates had done a good job ensuring there were a pair of eyes on him and PEaches at all times. Still, he kept a wary eye out to see if maybe one of their captors would slip up and give him a chance to get his little girl out of here. Though no such thing had happened yet, things were starting to look a little hopeful. After spending hours just floating off the coast of Seven Points doing nothing but guarding two prisoners, all of the pirates were starting to get a little restless and grouchy. Even Gutt was looking a bit anxious and annoyed.

Not much had been said over the past afternoon, but from little interaction Manny had witnessed it became clear that Gutt was no longer calling the shots. Renee was. And that was more than likely bad he and Renee had never been close during the time he spent with Leona, he did know quite a bit about her. It was kind of hard to not know a lot after being mated to and fathering a child with her sister.

Renee was a weirdo, no question about that, but she was smart. Scarily smart. And had a bit of a manipulative streak about her. Before it hadn't been anything too malicious. Yeah, there had been a few times in the beginning where she had tried to get in between Leona and him, but he took it as nothing more than her being an overprotective big sister. That was clearly not the case anymore.

What the case was exactly, though, was anyone's guess. Renee seemed to be the only one who knew what the plan was. Well, her and maybe the four other mammoths she had guarding him and Peaches, but they hadn't said a word since getting back on the ship. It was kind of creepy, actually, how they just stood, two on either side of him and two on either side of Peaches, staring straight ahead, never moving, never speaking.

The sun dipped down behind the horizon, and Gutt had finally had enough.

"Alright! Spill the beans! What are we doing here? What exactly is your plan?"

"Hm," Renee stared out at the setting sun again, then turned to face everyone else on the ship. "Well, I suppose now is as good a time as any."

"Finally!" Gutt shouted as Renee walked towards Manny and stood right in front of him.

"So, little brother-"

Manny let out an annoyed grumble.

"Oh? Don't like me calling you that. Well, I suppose you're right, considering you're with someone else now I guess you aren't my brother-in-law anymore. Hm."

She looked over her shoulder at Peaches. "How old is she? 16? 17? Meaning it only would have been 4-6 years after Leona died that you knocked another girl up." She turned back to Manny and glared. "Glad to know my little sister meant so much to you."

Manny lunged slightly, fighting against the vines tying him up at that last sarcastic remark, eyes blazing with anger.

"I had suspected as much, though. After all, how could an orphan boy who had never even been in a family ever truly love anyone?"

He all but growled at her.

"That's why I took matters into my own trunk after she died."

Manny was taken aback. _What did she mean by that? What was there to take charge of? They both died, there-_

"There's no way you would have been a good father to Harriet. Especially with Leona out of th-Oh! Have you not put it together yet?" Renee grinned evilly at the shocked look in Manny's eyes.

 _What is she saying?_

"That's right," she leaned in closer to him, staring him right in the eyes. "I lied when I told you I went back to the scene of the attack. Well, not about that. I did go back. And found Harriet, gravely injured, but still very much alive."

Had the vines not been holding him place, Manny would have collapsed from the shock.

 _Wha-_

 _Harriet is alive? She survived? But how could she have-hI saw-they were surrounded-she was buried-there was no way-How had she gotten out of there alive? Renee-_

Manny glared up at the smirking Renee who tauntingly stood over him.

"But what was I supposed to do? After all it was your hair-brained scheme to move that got them in that scenario in the first place. How could I just give my niece back to the man who had nearly gotten her killed?"

Manny began fighting with all his might against the vines. He wasn't shocked anymore. He was furious! All he wanted to do was tear Renee to shreds, but he couldn't get to her. She just stood there smiling, chuckling at his bewilderment.

"So, after you were out of the way, I took it upon myself to raise her. She was the only family I had left after Leona died, or so I thought. Turns out our father, the one who abandoned us, similarly to how you left Harriet-"

He shouted through the gag, shaking with anger.

"-had fathered four other children in his pitiful lifetime. My siblings that I believe you've already met," she gestured to the four other mammoths standing around her. "Together we made for ourselves what no one could give us: our own little family. It was a good life. Happy times! But, at about, oh, 17 years of age Harriet got a case of teenage rebellion. She took off! My own fault really, I let it slip you were still alive and she went off looking for you."

 _Looking for me?_

If she had started looking for him when she was 17 that means she would have been looking for the past ten years. Ten years. A decade.

His little girl had been looking for him for a decade and he didn't even know she was still alive.

His thoughts wandered back to the bright eyed, curious little girl who had looked so much like him. What did she look like now? Did she even remember him or her mother? She had been so young when-

"She's still at it, this search of hers. Refuses to believe that you actually abandoned her. She's convinced its all my fault."

 _Because it is you-_

Manny's thoughts were cut off as Renee reached back and put her trunk on the back of Peaches' head. "But when she sees that you've gone a replaced her with a new little girl, then she'll have no choice but to believe me."  
Manny's insides grew cold. So that's what her plan was?

But it wasn't like that! He hadn't replaced Harriet, he had just-

"As I said before, nobody on this ship will harm this little darling," Renee explained as she patted the back of Peaches' head, who stiffened at the gesture. "But we can't be responsible for anything Harriet might do."

 _No! She wouldn't! Harriet wasn't-_

But it had been 23 years since he'd last seen Harriet. There was no telling what she was like now. The child he'd lost all those years back would never harm an innocent girl, but after being raised by Renee and then being on her own for ten years. There's no telling what kind of woman she had grown into. Could she really…?

Renee walked back over to Manny and stared directly into his eyes. "You replaced her. And she will be furious about it. Hurt! Devastated! Nothing you could say or do will ever make up for it. No working your way out of this one, little brother."

At seeing small hint of despair starting to form in Manny's eyes, Renee's grin widened, and she continued.

"But, alas, I already promised Gutt here that he could finish you off, so I can't let Harriet take her wrath out on you. So, naturally, she'll turn it towards the next best thing." Renee pointed to Peaches. "Her."

Peaches let out a terrified whimper as Manny's eyes widened in horror.

"Your first born is going to murder your youngest. If not murder her, beat her so badly that the only kind thing to do will be to put her out of her misery. And you will watch all of it."

Peaches began to sob cries of fear as Renee droned on.

"Afterwards Harriet will have no choice coming running back to her Auntie for comfort and my little family will be complete once more. Then I turn you over to Gutt and he'll do with you what he wants."

Renee turned and walked over the Gutt, who was smiling ear-to-ear. "After all, a deal is a deal."

"Renee!" Gutt cheered. "You're a scallywag after me own heart!"

"You flatter me, Captain," Renee crooned. "I told you that you'd get what you want and more. Now all that's left to do is wait."

"Wait for what?" one of Gutt's men groaned. "We've been waiting all day."

"Wait for Harriet to come to us, obviously. Shouldn't be much longer now."

"Better not be," the pirate mumbled.

The sun was completely gone so that the only light left was coming from the torches, as the moon was hidden behind clouds.

Manny was done waiting for an opportunity now, he kept struggling against his bindings. He couldn't let this happen! He had to get Peaches and himself out of here. If Renee was allowed to give Harriet her side of the story than-

-No! He couldn't think about that, because that was NOT going to happen. Yet it seemed the more he fought the tighter the vines got. Last time he was tied up like this there were fewer people guarding him and he had Diego, Sid, and Granny to help him out. Now he had no one but his terrified, crying 17-year-old daughter who was bound, gagged, and blindfolded. There was no-

 _Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoosh!_

Several black masses shot by at top speed, flying about the ship, snuffing out all of the torches as they passed by.

"What was that!?" one of the pirates shouted through the darkness.

"Get ready!" the mammoth standing to Manny's right finally spoke.

Manny couldn't see a thing. Everything was pitch black.

Someone, somewhere suddenly let out a wild scream. Several other shouts and exclamations began filling the air, along with a couple of splashes as several somebodies were apparently pushed overboard.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Renee shouted from somewhere.

"Nope!" some strange voice shouted right in Manny's ear. He winced from the sudden sound as he began to feel the vines holding him be cut.

"Don't let them cut those two free!" one of the mammoths warned.

"Where are they?" one of the pirates asked. "I can't see a thing! I can't even tell poop from starboard any-WHOAH! Mmph! Mm-um-merm!"

The vines around Manny finally fell off and whoever had been at his side cutting away untied the gag in his mouth.

"There you go, this way," a voice told him as they grabbed his trunk and dragged him somewhere into the darkness. "Stop here!"

Manny had no choice but to obey. He had no clue where he was or what was going on around him. The scuffling continued for a while longer.

A torch was lit, momentarily blinding everyone for a split second.

As Manny's vision came back into focus he found all of the pirates, minus Gutt, tied together in a bunched up circle, gags in their mouths. Surrounding them were several animals, though what kind of animal they were exactly was hard to tell. All of their fur hand been painted in a splotchy black and gray pattern that made them blend into the darkness surrounding them.

Some of these painted animals were standing in front of Manny, who had just now realized where he was, standing next to the mast that Peaches' had been tied to. She, however, was now free as well, and was looking as confused as he was. The painted animals were all holding some kind of sharp rock, stick, or bone. They seemed to be protecting him and Peaches, though from what was hard to tell as all the pirates were tied-

Then he saw it. Renee, all of her siblings, and Gutt were still free to move around. Yet the painted animals had encircled the entire deck, making it impossible for them to get away. Renee looked about wildly, appearing surprised by everything that had just occurred. Then she stopped, smiled, and burst into laughter.

"Always have to put on a show, don't you?" she chuckled. "Alright, come on out, now. You know Auntie would never hurt you."

Silence followed. Nobody moved. Nobody said a thing.

"Harriet, come on out," Renee said, a bit more impatient. "We can't stay here all night, so let's get a move on. You know you can't hide from Auntie Renee forever. Besides, I've got a surprise for you."

Still nothing. Renee let out an aggravated huff. "Alright, fine! If you won't come to me, I'll come to you. A little camouflage won't fool me."

 _Maybe she's just lost it._ Manny thought to himself. _Maybe Harriet didn't survive and she's just made a bunch of crap up in her head. That doesn't explain why all these guys came to save us, though._

He pulled Peaches close to him and began looking for a way to sneak off the ship. They were literally surrounded on all sides by these camouflaged animals, there was nowhere to go.

"Harriet?" Renee kept making her way around the circle of painted animals, examining each of their faces. She stopped and stared at one individual for a while, then shook her head and began to move on. As she did so, a trunk came out of the crowd, grabbed her by the back of the head and flipped her over, tossing her on her back against the ice.

"AUGH!" Renee shouted as she scrambled to get up. "Who-"

"I've wanted to do that for so long!" a deep woman's voice cheered. The crowd parted and a young, female mammoth stepped forward. She wiped the camouflage paint off her face revealing that the fur underneath it was the same color and texture as Manny's. She had four scars maring the left side of her face, and striking violet eyes. She didn't even bother to look down at the still struggling Renee as she mockingly said:

"Hello, Aunt Renee. It hasn't been long enough!"


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven:**

"Insolent little girl!" one of the male mammoths screeched as he charged towards Harriet. She turned and gave him a harsh slap across the throat before kicking him just below his knee, effectively crippling him and knocking the wind out of him.

"Jacob," Harriet politely tipped her head to the gasping male.

The female mammoth who had charged Manny earlier decided to take a screaming run at Harriet, who casually side stepped, letting her run slightly past her before grabbing on of her back legs. She gave it a strong tug, causing the charging female to trip, dragged her back to the center of the circle and then gave her a swift kick to the gut, knocking the wind out of her as well.

"Janice," Harriet gave a mock salute, keeping the same polite voice she'd addressed Jacob with.

"Alright, alright!" Renee coughed as she stood to her feet and began stumbling towards Harriet. "This isn't going to-ow!"

Harriet smacked her across the face. "Maybe not, but it sure is making me feel better."

"Oh, real mature, niece!" Renee scoffed.

"Never claimed to be mature," Harriet replied as she began rubbing more of the camouflage off her body.

Manny could only stare, jaw dropped.

It-it was her! It was really her! She'd changed so much over the past 23 years, but he'd recognize his baby girl anywhere. It was her! She was alive! His Harriet was alive! After all these years she still looked like him, except for her eyes. Those she got from her mother. They seemed to be a bit different, though. A bit darker, foggier, more distant.

And those scars.

Images of her trying to fight against the hunter as they-

 _My poor little girl. What have you been through?_

"No, maturity is certainly not a word I'd ever describe you with-"

"I literally just said that," Harriet cut Renee off.

"Well, whatever! Nuances! Can we stop slapping each other and talk for a little while."

"Sure, okay," Harriet finished scrubbing the last of the paint off herself. We can talk. "Let's talk about how you kidnapped my dad!"

Renee's eyes grew wide. "Kidnapped? What I-no-I didn't kidnap-"

"So binding and gagging folks is just your new way of saying 'how ya doin,'' is it?" Harriet had not even once turned to look Renee in the eye. In fact she hadn't turned to look at anyone. She was just staring straight ahead, frowning deeply.

"Well, I-I-I-I-I-can you blame me? He was going to try and runaway again instead of facing you like a man and telling you-"

"Oh, cut the crap will you!" Harriet shouted, still not turning to look at Renee. "How is he supposed to face someone whose dead."

"But you're not dead!"

"Yeah, but he didn't know that, thanks to you."

"Thanks to me?" Renee put her trunk to her chest, looking offended. "Wherever did you get the idea that I-?"

"Ran into my stepmom earlier today," Harriet explained.

 _Ellie!_ Manny let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. _She's okay!_

"Told me the whole story," Harriet explained. "It's how I knew what you were calling me here to talk about, which is lucky for all of us because I was originally just not going to show up!"

"And you'd believe her?" Renee gasped. "Over your own Auntie."

"Please stop calling yourself that," Harriet grumbled. "And seeing as you lied to me most of my life, yeah, I think I will."

"Whatever she did," the male mammoth that Harriet hadn't slapped earlier, Noah Manny thought his name was, stepped forward. "She did to protect you!"

"Pssh!" Harriet pushed him aside, knocking him off balance.

"Maybe you don't believe me yet," Renee sighed. "But if you'd go over there," she gestured her head to where Manny and Peaches were standing. "You'll find that he has a new daughter. He replaced you, Harriet! He doesn't care about you! Yes, telling you he was dead until you were 17 was wrong, I admit that. But I thought the pain of having a dead father would be less than the pain of having one who abandoned you."

Silence followed. Harriet didn't turn to look at Manny, or Peaches, or Renee. She kept staring straight.

Manny felt as if he'd been stabbed multiple times in the heart. 23 years of separation and she couldn't even bring herself to look at him.

"Let me ask you something, Renee-"

"Aunt Renee!"

"Yeah, that's not happening. But let me ask you something," Harriet finally turned to face Renee, placing her back to Manny. "The day my mother died was the worst day of your life, right?"

"Absolutely!" Renee cried. "She was my baby sister! I would do anything to have her back!"

"So why then did you expect me to kill my own little sister in front of my dad?" Harriet all but growled. "You really think I'm stupid enough to fall for one of your little mind games? They didn't work when I was a kid, what makes you think they'd work on me as an adult?"

"Alright, enough of that!" Gutt suddenly screamed. Manny jumped. He'd forgotten Gutt was there for a moment. Gutt picked up a swordfish skull and began making his way towards Manny and Peaches. Manny, who had been frozen in spot until then, suddenly moved in front of Peaches to protect her.

"Your plan didn't work, we'll do this my w-"

It happened so fast it took Manny a minute to process it. Harriet darted across the ship, bent down, slid under Gutt, then stood up quickly so that Gutt's legs were caught up in her tusks, allowing her to lift him off the ground.

"Wai-What!" Gutt shouted as Harriet charged to the edge of the ship. She bent her head down, slamming him into the deck, causing him to gasp in pain. As he still laid there, groaning, she grabbed him by his arm and tossed him overboard.

"You are such an insolent little-" Jacob charged at her again, but she sidestepped and let him run himself off the edge of the deck and into the water.

"Will you all stop it!" Renee screeched. "You all know she's got an advantage over us right now!"

 _What's that supposed to mean?_ Manny thought. _It's pitch black. Even with the torch it's hard to see. What kind of advantage could she possibly._

"You all know even if it wasn't dark I'd still kick your butts right?" Harriet smirked.

"Still ever, so humble, aren't you?" Renee groaned.

"Well seeing as I was able to survive you, made it on my own at seventeen, became turk leader of all of seven points at eighteen and have driven every pirate out of this place for the past nine years; All in spite of what you put me through, I think I have a reason to brag every now and then, don't you?"

Renee sighed. "I tried to do things the easy way, Harriet. This little temper tantrum you're throwing has to stop, you are coming home now!" Renee rushed to towards Harriet, who still had her back to Renee. Harriet didn't move at first, then she made one swift turn, knocking Renee's legs out from under her and slamming her to the ground. Harriet placed her foot on top of Renee's head. She still didn't look down at her, but she did lower her voice into a threatening tone.

"Now why on earth would I do that."

"Because we're a family!"

"No, we aren't. Thought I made that clear 10 years ago. Now, get out of my life!" And with that she kicked Renee overboard. "Hope you still know how to swim!"

Harriet turned to the others still standing behind her. "Anyone else!"

All the pirates, still bound up, began shaking their heads. The three remaining mammoths, however, weren't quite done yet.

"Honestly, Harriet, what's wrong with you?" Janice screamed. "Why can't you just stop this feud and come back home!"

"Because I'm already home," Harriet replied.

"You had a good life with us-"

Harriet snorted. "When? The hour in between Renee lying to me and the rest of you yelling at me. Seriously, do you just take everything she says as gospel?"

"She's out big sister!" Noah yelled.

"And?" Harriet asked.

"If we can't believe her, then who can we?"

"Guys," Harriet addressed the painted animals behind her. "Get them out of here."

They all rushed forward, seized the remaining pirates and mammoths, and began piling them into log longboats to lower into the water.

Harriet shook her head at the other mammoths. "Honestly, and I'm supposed to be the blind one."


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight:**

"Check and make sure they don't have anyone else tied up here," Harriet ordered as the long boat holding their remaining foes was lowered into the water. "And I'll need at least 6 individuals to stay here for the night incase they try to come back."

"I will!" Someone volunteered.

"Me too!"

"Masha and I will."

"Okay," Harriet nodded as she began walking back towards the middle of the deck. "I heard four, so I need two-ouch!" she ran right into the mast across the deck from Manny and Peaches. She rubbed her head, and annoyed scowl on her face. "Okay, where the heck am I?" she asked.

"You did all that without knowing where you were?!" a man's voice shouted. From out of the crowd a young male mammoth, somewhere in his early thirties, walked out of the crowd and began heading towards Harriet. He was pretty average from all accounts. Average height. Average build. Not handsome, but certainly not ugly. He had a dusty brown coat and dull grey eyes. All and all her didn't look like much, other than highly agitated as he reached Harriet's side and grabbed her trunk.

"What if you had fallen overboard?" he asked.

"I can tell where the edge is, babe," Harriet rolled her eyes. "I can feel the mist coming over it."

"Still," the male shook his head. "You should try to keep up with where you are a little more when you're in the middle of a fight on a boat in the ocean!"

"You try keeping track of 8 things at once while blind," Harriet grumbled as her partner led her to the middle of the deck. "It ain't easy, love!"

 _Blind?_

Manny leaned forward and stared at her eyes. He had noticed earlier there was something different about them, but now that she was closer he could see more clearly. One of the four scars on her face went straight across her left eye. Her left pupil, instead of being black like it was supposed to be, was a dark, blood red. Both eyes had a dark, grey film covering them. As her partner stopped at the center of the deck, she began slowly turning her head from side to side, but her eyes never focused on anything. Instead she shifted her ears up, and down, side to side, brows furrowed in concentration.

Her partner turned and faced the crowd. "Okay, everyone be quiet for a few seconds!"

Silence fell, everyone froze, and in a way it made things worse for Manny. There wasn't anything left to distract him from the fact that his daughter was blind. As if being mauled by humans, lied to, abused, and left to fend for herself at age 17, as a child, wasn't bad enough, she couldn't even see. He wondered how long it was after the attack she'd lost her sight. Had it been instant? Or was it a slow, painful process? He wasn't sure which would have been worse.

From the back of the boat a loud "boom!" sound out, as if someone had slammed a log against the deck of the ship. Another "boom!" came from just behind the mast Manny and Peaches were standing at, causing them to jump. As the sound died down a giant gorilla with only one arm (similar to Gutt, only this one looked much healthier and stronger) shuffled out from behind the mast and stood just in front of it. He had a large log thrown over his shoulder with his one arm. He slammed it against the deck, waited for the ringing to stop, then made his way right to the center of the ship, next to Harriet, and repeated the motion. He did this all the way down the ship until he reached the other end.

Harriet kept turning her head back and forth, her ears darting to every angle she could possibly move them to as the gorilla continued in his routine.

"Need me to go again, Red?" he asked once he could go no further.

"No, I've got it," Harriet answered. "I still need two more volunteers to stay here for the night."

"We've got it," a series of voices sounded out.

Harriet blinked rapidly as she tried to process the noise. "Or four. I'm not going to say no if a total of eight of you want to stay here."

Harriet's partner, who was still standing next to her, began looking about frantically. His eye finally fell on Manny. The two men locked eyes and just stared at each other for a moment. Manny didn't even have to ask what role this young man was playing in his daughter's life. That small interaction he'd just witness had made it clear. The younger man stood there awkwardly for a few seconds. Neither of them really knew what to do or say to one another. Finally the younger one turned back to Harriet, grabbed her trunk, and guided her towards Manny.

"Come over here, love," he told her. "I think there's someone here you'd like to talk to."

Harriet's face, which had been all business before, suddenly changed to one of apprehensiveness as she was guided to stand right in front of Manny.

Manny could only stare at her as her partner guided her trunk out towards him.

"Go on," the younger man encouraged him. "She won't bite."

Shaking Manny reached out and held her trunk.

Harriet's breath hitched as she slowly returned the gesture. "Um…" she stopped to clear her throat, blinking her eyes furiously.

Manny's throat tightened. It was really her. She was really alive and standing right in front of him! Before, just watching her, it had felt almost like a dream. But now, holding her trunk, having her only a foot away from him, made it all real.

"Dad?" Harriet asked in voice barely more than a whisper. "Um...you actually there? I can't really see anymore. One of the many changes thats happened over the past 20-something years, so you're going to have to say something."

"Yeah," Manny managed to force out of his tight throat. "Yeah, I'm really here."

Harriet jumped at the sound of his voice. "Oh...oh, holy smokes, that was my dad's voice. You're really my dad. Oh...holy smokes."

"You remember?" Manny asked, astonished.

"How you think I came up with the name 'Red?'" she grinned.

His old nickname for her. A wide smile broke over his face as he gently pulled her into a hug. She returned the embrace. Despite his best efforts, a few tears began to fall.

"Dad?" Peaches gasped from where she was watching on in wonder. She had never, _ever,_ seen her father cry before.

"Huh? Oh, wait, yeah!" Harriet suddenly exclaimed. "I have a little sister,!"

"Yes, you do," Manny nodded as he let Harriet go and gestured for Peaches to come closer. He set Peaches' trunk in Harriet's.

"Um, hi," Peaches' shifted awkwardly. "I'm Peaches."

Harriet grinned. "I'm Harriet. Or Red if you want."

"Okay. Um...which do you prefer?"

"Neither. I'll answer to either one."

"Okay...so...I'll get back to you on that."

"Fair enough," Harriet nodded, before perking up. "Oh, um...Owen?"

"Right here," the young male mammoth from before walked to Harriet's side.

"Dad, Peaches," Harriet said. "This is my husband, Owen."

"Hi guys," Owen waved awkwardly. "Nice to meet you...kind of wish we could have met earlier, but irregardless, glad to meet both of you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Peaches smiled politely, though she still seemed to feel very out of place and awkward.

Owen smiled politely at her, rocking awkwardly on his heels. "So…" he turned to Harriet. "Are we going to tell them about Mona now, or later?"

"Mona?" Manny asked.

"Another long lost relative?" Peaches asked, looking thoroughly overwhelmed.

"Yeah, you could say that," Harriet shyly rubbed at the back of her neck. "She's our three year old daughter."

"What?" Manny felt himself getting a little dizzy.

Harriet had a kid? He had a granddaughter? He was a grandad? He wasn't quite sure how he felt about that.

"I have a niece?" Peaches asked excitedly.

Harriet nodded. "Yup."

"Mona?" something finally started to dawn on Manny as he said the name out loud. "Mona? Where did you get that name from?"

"Oh, you know," Harriet shrugged. "Just kind of mashed 'Manny' and 'Leona' together and there you go."


End file.
